Ash and Serena: Snapshots
by FyoraHime
Summary: A collection of Amourshipping drabbles! I received prompts and wrote a quick fic for each one. Hope you enjoy them! :)
1. Coffee

A careful creak.  
A groggy groan.  
A soft sigh.

These were her cues.

After taking a deep breath, Serena whirled around to face Ash with a smile. "Good morning, Ash!" she chirped. Despite how much she had mentally prepared herself, her heart was still pounding violently. Hopefully he was too tired to notice how much her voice was shaking, too. "How do you like your coffee?" Now that they were living together, she wanted to become familiar with all of his morning rituals.

"Good mo-" A yawn cut off Ash's speech. "-morning, Serena," he mumbled as he slipped into his seat at the kitchen counter. "Coffee?" he echoed, once his tired brain processed the question. "I don't think I've ever had it. Isn't it super bitter? It's an adult drink, right?"

Serena seemed surprised, but she just chuckled softly. "Well, we're kind of adults now," she reminded him, "and coffee doesn't have to be bitter. I add milk and sugar to sweeten mine. Sometimes I even add honey."

Ash gazed thoughtfully at the coffee mug in her hands. "That sounds pretty good. Can I taste it?"

Serena's face grew deep red as she passed over her coffee mug. "Uh… uh-huh!" Was this reality? Was Ash taking a sip from her mug? In the kitchen that they shared? The golden-haired girl had to grip the edge of the counter now to keep her hands from shaking. "Well? How is it?"

Initially, Ash didn't react much. However, as he took another experimental sip, his eyes were now growing wide as they flooded with life. "Wow! That is pretty good!" He began to set the mug back down but ended up taking another sip first. "That seriously woke me up, too! Can I have more?" Was _he_ shaking now?

Maybe giving Ash Ketchum caffeine wasn't her greatest idea.


	2. Stars

"Here it is, Serena! The best seat in the whole town!"

While the golden-haired girl certainly had had her misgivings about Ash's suggestion, the moment she saw the night sky, she realized that there had been sense in it after all. The boy eagerly extended his hand to her to give her a boost, and together they helped her step onto the roof of his house.

"You can see everything from here," Serena breathed as she settled herself onto the blanket beside him. "I feel like I can almost touch the moon!" She extended her hand outward towards the sky, and the beautiful harvest moon glowed behind her outstretched fingers.

"Climbing up here wasn't that hard, either!" Ash commented with a wink, then asked, "How was your first moon viewing festival?"

"I loved it!" Serena smiled brightly as she recalled the day's events. "I wish Kalos had something similar. I loved seeing all of the stalls at the Viridian Festival and learning about the traditions. I've never seen so many chestnuts!" Ash chuckled as she continued. "Plus, I had the chance to wear a traditional yukata. Are you sure your mom doesn't mind me borrowing this?" she asked, suddenly aware of the fact that she had risked climbing a ladder while wearing this beautiful garment.

Ash nodded reassuringly. "Of course! She seemed really happy when I told her I had a friend who needed to borrow a yukata, and you saw how big her smile was when she saw you step out in it!"

Feeling less guilty as well as slightly flustered now, Serena changed the subject. "A-anyway, those rice dumplings at the gym were delicious! Now that I've tasted some, I may want to try making them."

Ash turned toward her with eyes sparkling. "Oh man, would you make your own tsukimi dango for next year? I bet they'd be delicious!"

Serena's faced turned an even deeper shade of pink. "Next year?" she echoed. He was inviting her back?

"Yeah, it only comes once a year," the Pallet Town native explained, completely missing the point of her question. "I had a really great time at the festival with you! Of course, every day is fun when you're around," he added as an afterthought. "So what d'ya say?"

Unable to find the proper words, she simply nodded. Ash seemed satisfied enough by her warm smile and gentle, grateful gaze, so he turned his attention back to the sky. "We should have a really good harv– whoa, Serena! A shooting star!" He sat up straighter and pointed wildly. "Are you gonna make a wish?"

The performer shook her head and laid down on the blanket. The silver moon, the twinkling stars, and the blazing tail of the shooting star all danced within her shimmering eyes. "Not this time," she murmured. "Right now, I think I have everything I could wish for."


	3. Sunset

"Serena! Serena!" Was she still practicing? Ever since the inspiration hit her at lunchtime, she and her team had been practicing a brand new routine. Ash could appreciate her dedication, and he could certainly understand the need to get up and train as soon as an idea struck. However, the fact that he hadn't seen her in hours concerned him, and he especially wanted to make sure that she didn't miss dinner time.

The raven-haired boy stepped carefully stepped over the undergrowth as he journeyed deeper into the nearby forest where Serena had disappeared. How far into the woods did she go? Light began to filter through the branches up ahead, and as Ash pushed some leaves out of his face he suddenly found himself facing a large clearing. In the center was Serena, twirling and dancing in tune with her Pokemon. The setting sun painted the sky with oranges and pinks, but the rays it cast into the hollow were a brilliant gold. The light danced around the girl's honey-colored locks, and they seemed to create a glimmering golden halo around her head. In Ash's eyes, even more than a halo, he thought the light resembled an ethereal crown. "Serena!" he blurted at last, when she stopped dancing to catch her breath. "Dinner time!"

Serena seemed startled by Ash's presence, but she nodded and hurried over to meet him. "It's that late already? Thanks for coming out here!"

"No worries!" Ash assured her with a grin. "By the way… do you think they could ever do a showcase outside?"

Serena tapped her chin thoughtfully. "Hmm… probably not. It'd be difficult to seat everyone," she decided. "Why?"

Ash shrugged. "I dunno. I just thought it would be a cool idea. Plus… if you could compete in the sunset, you'd win for sure. In the sun's rays, you really look like a queen!"


	4. Trump Card

Giving up was not an option. Serena had resolved long ago not to quit at the first sign of difficulty and to persevere through hardships. She remembered very vividly the moment in which she allowed her hesitations and sorrow to take to the winds, the moment when she lifted that weight from her shoulders.

Unfortunately, the one who inspired her to adopt her "never give up until the end" attitude was currently her opponent, and she knew he was treating this situation with the exact same mindset. They were both pushing their skills to the limits, and neither of them was willing to yield.

Speed and strength had taken her this far, but they apparently weren't enough to bring her to victory. His battle-trained eyes caught every detail and could easily follow her sneakiest tricks. What other tactics could she use? As she gazed over the scene in front of her, an idea suddenly flickered into her mind. This method would be risky, but her training had prepared her for it… right? _'It's now or never, Serena!_ ' she thought. _'Time to use your trump card!'_

Her eyes glittering with determination, she slid her hand forward and smacked the incoming puck towards Ash's goal. Immediately, she gracefully flicked her wrist and thrust her paddle away from her with as much strength as she could muster. The paddle slammed into the puck from behind, giving it the extra push necessary to swiftly shove it into the goal before he could react. Game over.

"Wow! That was awesome, Serena!" Ash stepped forward to fist-bump the blonde, who obliged with a smile.

"Thanks! To be honest, I was worried I would miss," she confessed. "I guess all of that dance practice made me pretty nimble!"

"You nailed it! I guess we're using our tickets for that big Espurr plush, huh?" He held up the big bag of tickets they had accumulated from their day at the arcade.

Serena had almost forgotten about their bet after getting so swept up in their competition. "Are you sure you don't mind? You really seemed to want that water gun."

Ash nodded. "You won fair and square. Go for it!"

Serena pushed the outstretched bag away from her. "That's okay. I'll just cuddle with Pikachu tonight instead of the plush~ How does that sound, Pikachu?" She ruffled the fur atop the electric mouse's head, and his cheeks sparked in delight as he snuggled up against her hand. He then leapt off of Ash's shoulder and moved to stand beside the performer instead; he sent a mischievous glance at Ash as he snuggled up against her ankles.

The boy from Pallet Town gasped in indignation. "I've been betrayed by my two closest friends!" he cried out despairingly. "That's it! We're definitely getting you that plush now!" he declared, hurrying off to the ticket counter.

Serena chuckled and winked at the Pokémon pressing up against her leg. Teaming up with Pikachu had been the best strategy after all.


	5. Bonnie's League Challenge

"Dedenne is unable to battle! Pyroar wins!"

A gasp escaped Serena's lips as she watched the little mouse Pokémon go down. Serena had seen enough Flamethrower attacks in her days to know that Pyroar was raised well; defeating him would be a challenge.

Suddenly a reassuring hand rested on her shoulder. "She still has two more. Bonnie will never give up!" Ash grinned at his honey blonde companion, hoping to restore her spirits.

Serena had never been discouraged in the first place, but her sigh must have concerned him. "I believe in her!" she exclaimed before turning her attention back to the battle. "I'm still pretty amazed that that lazy little Dedenne grew into such a competent battler."

Clemont chuckled softly from her other side. "Disciplining him is no easy task, but the Lumiose Gym is well-equipped for training all sorts of electric Pokémon," he stated matter-of-factly. "I was more than happy to support my sister, especially after she earned a badge from me." He smiled fondly at the bittersweet memory. Even though losing a battle could sting, Serena imagined he couldn't help but swell with pride when his own little sister overcame his trial.

"She's come really far," Ash agreed. "We all have! I finally became the Kanto champion, Serena became Kalos Queen, and didn't you receive an invitation to the Elite Four?"

The blonde boy's face turned a bright shade of pink. Clearly he was uncomfortable with becoming the topic of conversation. "Well yes, but I turned them down–"

A sharp roar cut him off. In the middle of the arena, a large, rocky dinosaur reared its head and bellowed once again in triumph. "Pyroar is unable to battle! Tyrantrum wins!"

"Although I may have to reconsider if Bonnie wins the league," Clemont conceded with a sigh.

Ash nodded encouragingly. "Why not? Who says you can't make inventions and be part of the Elite Four at the same time?"

An explosion blasted from the middle of the arena, and immediately the crowd fell silent. All eyes turned expectantly to the cloud of smoke on the field, trying to identify who remained standing among the debris. Gently Serena wrapped her hand around Ash's tightly clenched fist. Of course they all wanted Bonnie to win, but she especially knew the passionate young man from Pallet Town could get carried away with emotion during a battle; it was her turn to reassure _him_.

"The winner of this semifinal match is… Bonnie of Lumiose City!"

Ash jumped out of his seat and shouted the girl's name at the top of his lungs, but not before intertwining his fingers with the soft, warm ones resting atop his. He effectively pulled Serena out of her seat when he rose, but she was happy to join him in crying out Bonnie's name, celebrating her victory with many other exuberant voices in the crowd.

Looking at her current situation, the performer couldn't help but reflect on how far _all_ of their dreams had come.


End file.
